Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told CNN that although Ukraine is “very well prepared” for a counteroffensive against the ongoing Russian invasion, it is “too early to tell what outcomes are going to happen.”
In an exclusive interview from Normandy, France, Milley said that Kyiv is fighting a war that’s “an existential threat for the very survival of Ukraine,” but that also has “greater meaning for the rest of the world,” pointing specifically to Europe and the United States.
The general, who is retiring later this year, is marking the 79th anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasion in Normandy as the fighting continues in Ukraine.
The U.S. and its allies have been arming Ukraine for an expected spring counteroffensive for months, with Washington recently saying that it would support a joint effort by other countries to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Ukraine is prepared for the counteroffensive, Milley said, because the United States and other Western nations have supplied “training and ammunition,” as well as “advice” and “intelligence.”
Russia has begun circulating claims that it has fended off a “large scale offensive” in southern Donetsk, without providing any evidence to back up the assertion.
The conflict has also spilled into Russia, with alleged Ukrainian drone strikes occurring in Moscow and shelling taking place in Belgorod. When asked if attacks such as these would escalate the war, Milley said there is “always risk” of escalation and said the U.S. is monitoring the situation “very, very carefully.”
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN last week that the U.S. believes Kyiv’s counteroffensive “will allow Ukraine to take strategically significant territory back from Russia.”
Ukraine has started providing drones to a network of agents and sympathizers within Russia who are working to sabotage the Kremlin war machine. While there is no evidence that recent drone strikes are the work of pro-Ukraine agents, officials told CNN they noticed an increase in the number of attacks inside Russia.
“There has been for months now a pretty consistent push by some in Ukraine to be more aggressive,” one source familiar with U.S. intelligence said. “And there has certainly been some willingness at senior levels. The challenge has always been their ability to do it.”
Speaking on behalf of Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Ukrainian Security Service, a spokesperson suggested that the attacks within Russian borders would not stop. The spokesperson told CNN that “‘cotton’ has been burning, is burning, and will continue to burn,” using the Ukrainian slang for explosions.
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